Outlander season 7, episode 2 continued the high-quality storytelling of the fantasy drama, incorporating also the time travel element that distinguishes the series.
Following the Outlander season 6 finale and its season 7’s premiere that raised questions about Malva’s murder, Outlander season 7, episode 2 finally resolved all mysteries surrounding the death of Claire’s apprentice, revealing the full truth of Malva’s tragic story.
The second episode of Outlander season 7 balanced the Frasers’ joys and sorrows, along with unexpected confrontations that progressed one story that has been haunting Jamie and Claire since Outlander season 4.
Outlander season 7, episode 2 featured the comeback of several beloved characters, and also depicted the impact of the American Revolution on Frasers’ lives.
Brianna’s encounter with her half-brother William and his loyalty for the British cause illustrated the conflict that divided Outlander’s characters, affecting even Jamie and Lord John Grey’s friendship. The arrival of Roger and Brianna’s daughter Mandy prompted their return to the future, but Outlander season 7, episode 2 had more surprises in store, bringing back an escaped and dangerous Wendigo Donner.
1. The Truth About Malva’s Tragic Story
Allan Christie’s admission to Claire at the start of Outlander season 7, episode 2 finally disclosed the truth about Malva’s death, while also verifying how Tom’s confession was fabricated. However, by combining the testimonies of the two men, Claire was able to understand their views of Malva.
While Tom always regarded Malva’s ambition as signs of her being a witch, his son Allan had sexually assaulted Malva and eventually killed her when he realized he couldn’t dominate her.
Allan’s shock while admitting to Claire he killed Malva because she loved Claire and wanted to protect her, and Jamie from Allan’s scheme confirmed not only all the tragic details of Malva’s already sad story but also how Claire was the only one that ever believed in her.
Despite being angry at Malva when she accused Jamie of getting her pregnant and even more so because she almost believed her, Claire always gave Malva the benefit of the doubt. In the end, Claire was the only one who nurtured Malva’s thirst for knowledge and treated her like a person instead of an object, revealing Outlander’s saddest detail about Malva’s story.
2. Joe Abernathy Could Return to Outlander
Outlander season 7, episode 2’s joyful moments featured the Frasers meeting Roger and Brianna’s new daughter Mandy. However, Claire’s detection of Mandy’s heart murmur triggered the Mackenzies’ journey back to the future, as her condition could not have been treated in the 1700s, even with Claire’s expertise in modern medicine.
While the farewell of Jamie and Claire from Brianna and Roger was more heartbreaking than when Claire first departed from Brianna to travel back in time, Mandy’s situation also suggests the comeback of another positive character to Outlander.
Joe Abernathy was one of the few friends Claire made after returning to her time in Outlander season 3, as the other residents’ prejudice made them regularly ostracize Joe and Claire. Claire’s “I know someone who can” remark about finding help for Mandy clearly indicated Joe, as he was not only a doctor like her, but he also maintained his medical practice in the future.
Considering how the departure from their family will affect Roger and Brianna as well as Jemmy, Joe Abernathy will hopefully act as a familiar face and positive character for the Mackenzies, as he did for Claire in Outlander season 3.
3. John Grey and Jamie’s Opposite Sides
Lord John Grey’s close friendship with Jamie has been a constant since Outlander season 3, with their bond being maintained even when they were separated by oceans at times.
While Jamie could never return Lord John’s romantic feelings, their friendship was always very significant, and Lord John found himself rescuing Jamie and his family several times in Outlander.
However, their encounter in Outlander season 7, episode 2 showed that despite their mutual affection, their allegiance to different sides in the American Revolutionary War made their overt friendship much more challenging.
With Jamie’s biological son William participating in the battle on the English side, Lord John comprehended even less why Jamie persisted in staying non-aligned to the English. However, with both of them in North Carolina during the war, Jamie’s proposal of not seeing each other proved reasonable.
Indeed, not only could avoiding each other ensure William not recognizing Jamie, but it could also reduce the treason allegations that could be leveled at them if they openly met with someone on the opposite side. Hopefully, Jamie and Lord John will eventually reunite without the war threatening them in Outlander.
4. Bree’s Plea for William to Learn the Truth About Jamie
Bree’s fervent plea to Lord John Grey about William’s right to learn the truth about Jamie in Outlander season 7 showed how much her and Jamie’s relationship has evolved since Outlander season 4.
As she told Lord John, Brianna felt somewhat deceived to discover the truth about her parentage at first and tended to favor Frank over her mother.
However, after becoming an official Outlander time traveler to warn Claire and Jamie about Fraser’s Ridge’s fire, Brianna managed to establish a fulfilling relationship with Jamie, one that didn’t erase what she had with Frank, but that added love to the equation, allowing Bree to gain another father.
Brianna and Jamie’s touching reunion among the forest’s fireflies confirmed their father/daughter relationship, as the two could envision a future made unlikely by Jamie’s inability to time travel and Brianna’s imminent trip back to her timeline.
Despite the abrupt separation, Jamie and Brianna managed to make the most of the situation, concentrating on all the positive outcomes from their accidental meeting rather than the Mackenzies’ sorrowful, impending departure.
5. Jamie Prepares for His Possible Death
Jamie giving the gem to Claire in Outlander season 7, episode 2 demonstrated how he again prepared for the possibility of his death, even if he gave her the gem as a way to show her that she could have joined Roger and Brianna if she wanted to.
Claire’s comeback to the past confirmed her resolution to spend the rest of her years with Jamie. However, his speech still indicated how Jamie was willing to let Claire return to her timeline, just like he let her go in Outlander season 2’s finale to protect her and Brianna.
6. Wendigo’s Return
Wendigo Donner appearing in Outlander season 7’s premiere indeed foreshadowed Fraser’s Ridge’s fire, and Outlander season 7, episode 2’s suspenseful ending confirmed that by letting the event first revealed in Outlander season 4 finally occur.
While Claire and Jamie probably survived the explosion, it’s unclear why that fire was reported as the cause why Claire and Jamie lost their lives in the newspapers. Still, Wendigo’s comeback finally ended his story and harassment of the Frasers, hopefully letting Jamie and Claire proceed with their lives with fewer challenges in Outlander season 7.
7. About Outlander
Outlander is a historical drama television series based on the ongoing novel series of the same name by Diana Gabaldon. Developed by Ronald D. Moore, the show premiered on August 9, 2014, on Starz.
It stars Caitríona Balfe as Claire Randall, a former Second World War military nurse in Scotland who, in 1945, finds herself transported back in time to 1743. There she encounters, falls in love with, and marries a dashing Highland warrior named Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan), a Tacksman of Gabaldon’s fictionalized version of Clan Fraser of Lovat, and becomes embroiled in the Jacobite rising.
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